


Finally at home

by PerriewinkleNerdie



Category: Open Heart (Visual Novel)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-09
Updated: 2019-09-09
Packaged: 2020-11-02 01:57:36
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,773
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20583146
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PerriewinkleNerdie/pseuds/PerriewinkleNerdie
Summary: What if the only thing you could do to protect the person you loved, was the thing that hurt them the most?





	Finally at home

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, hello, hello! It’s weekly prompt, third edition! The moment I saw the prompt, I knew what I wanted to do, and I am so happy I actually managed to execute that :D  
The prompt for this week is:  
(situation) What if the only thing you could do to help/save the person you loved was the thing that hurt them the most?  
Now that I think about it, I kinda tweaked it a little, but I just couldn’t resist it, hope you don’t mind 😊  
Enjoy! <3

He never thought he would be in a situation he was in now. It seemed like a scene straight out of his nightmares, something that happened only in movies and cheap tv shows. And yet, here he was, standing in the room near the back of the police station, officer next to him explaining the procedure, and all he could think about was her. Her blonde hair, green eyes, the way her smile lit up his day. Claire was the most important thing for him. And what he was about to do would hurt her beyond any measure.

She would never forgive him.

What was more, he himself would never forgive himself. The mere thought of causing her pain made the knife he already had in his heart twist, ripping him from the inside. No matter what he would do or say, it would all end with tears for both of them. If he could avoid it, he would be home by now, with her in his arms, and nothing could tear them apart. In a perfect world, he would embrace her, kiss her and love her till she forgot about the world around them.

But they were not living in a perfect world. Their world was full of mistakes and heartbreaks, unexplainable questions and unavoidable wounds that would bleed for years, never closing, scarring badly.

“So, walk me through it all one more time, because I fail at understanding why exactly I have to do this.” Ethan spoke as he sat down on the chair, his head falling heavily into his hands, eyes closing.

“The patient you had was a criminal, and you, by talking to him, got yourself on the hit list of a human trafficking group. We can’t risk you getting hurt by them, so we decided to help you.” The officer explains calmly, his voice level and empty.

“By making me pretend to be dead? By making me leave the woman I love, by letting her believe I’m dead? I’m sorry, officer, but that hardly seems like help to me.” He scoffed, his blood boiling, but everything seemed to be overshadowed by grief he felt.

He would not be able to hold her when she falls, he would not be there to wipe her tears and tell her it’s only temporary. For this to work, she would have to believe that he was dead, and for that, she couldn’t know it was fake.

He really was about to fake his own death and not tell her about it.

He knew when exactly it would happen. He didn’t even have a chance to say a proper goodbye to her, he would just disappear from her life, for god knows how long.

In the moment she found out, all he could do was look as she fell to the ground, her hand covering her mouth as she sobbed, Naveen embracing her as he shed a few tears himself. And Ethan was stuck on the other side of the glass wall, his heart shattering into a million more pieces with each tear that rolled down her cheek.

——————-

Six years later

——————-

Ethan walked down the street, a spark of hope glimmering in his chest. The group he was hiding from has been captured a week ago, and he could finally come out of hiding. When he saw the officer by his front door, his heart nearly leaped out of his chest. The news made him sit down, not trusting his own legs to hold him steady. He was free. He could finally go home, he could finally see her again. He just hoped that he had anything to come back to.

He was told where she lived now, and when the house came into the view, his stomach did a flip. A car was parked outside, the light flowing through the window as day was coming to a close. He approached the door with his soul on his shoulder, and hesitantly knocked three times. Soft footsteps were heard and moments later the door flew open.

He imagined the moment many times over the years. How he would grab her into his arms and never let her go. Kiss her until they were breathless, take her to bed and get to know her all over again. Nothing could prepare him for what was about to happen. Her eyes widened, blood drained from her face, mouth open in confusion that melted into shock.

“Wha- what is this?” she stammered, whispering breathlessly. Her posture shook, her hand flying to grip the doorframe to steady herself, her legs giving out from under her.

Ethan jumped forward, catching her, wrapping his arms firmly around her waist to prevent her from falling. Their faces came dangerously close, they were breathing the same air, their eyes locking in an intense stare. His scent engulfed her, heightening her senses, making her acutely aware of all the places their bodies touched, the familiar sparks shooting through her.

“Claire… you have no idea how much I missed you…” he muttered, smoothing her hair with his hand. She took a deep breath, the air seemingly escaping her body, leaving her empty. She pushed him away, shaking her head as panic took over her whole being, not believing what she was seeing.

“No. No, no, no… not again. I’m going to wake up in a moment, and you will be gone again. And I will be alone. Again. Just…” she mumbled, hysterically gripping her arms, tears stinging in her eyes. He stared at her in shock, watching as she dissolved right before him, and he was unable to do anything, because every time he took a step towards her, she took two steps back.

“Claire-“

“No! You- you’re not real, you’re…” she was crying now, her hands shaking as she backed into the wall. He walked over to her, embracing her again, whispering soft words into her ear.

“I’m real. I promise you, I’m real. You don’t have to be afraid, I’m not going to disappear, I’m not going to leave you again. I’m so sorry for hurting you, I just couldn’t tell you…” he rambled, his own emotions taking over. She froze, not breathing, causing him to lean back. Her eyes were hollow, barely noticing he was there.

“You… _knew?_ You knew you were going to leave me, and you didn’t tell me? Did you even think about how I would feel after I would find out you were dead?” she hissed, avoiding him completely.

“It had to be believable, I couldn’t put you through that pain.” He whispered, desperately trying to get her to see his point. She scoffed, throwing her hands to the side.

“And you think thinking you were dead wasn’t painful? It felt like a thousand of knives, stabbing me every moment of every day for the last six years.” She sobbed, still not looking at him. He decided to throw caution to the wind and just go for it, striding over to her and pulling her into a tight embrace. She fought against him, struggling to break free.

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, it was hard for me too.”

“Hard for you? _Hard for you?!_” she shouted, her hands hitting his chest repeatedly. “_I was pregnant, you idiot! And you left me!”_

Time seemed to have frozen. Nothing was moving, they were not breathing, their eyes finally met, and he could see the depth of pain she felt. The weight of her words settled in, like the dust after the fight, making his pupils dilate. His hold on her loosened, allowing her to escape. But she didn’t, instead looking at him, waiting for his reaction.

“You- you were- you were pregnant?” he stammered, a fresh batch of tears escaping his eyes. She nodded soberly, biting her lip as she cried with him. He moved to hug her, expecting her to flinch and step away, but she fell into his arms, breathing in his scent, allowing his warmth to surround her. Claire nodded slightly, humming under her breath. “What do you mean _were?_”

“Well, it’s been six years, pregnancy takes nine months. You are a doctor, don’t tell me you didn’t know that.” She laughed through her tears, relaxing against him. Then, her tone got softer, gentler, as she revealed another part of her life to him. “We have a daughter.”

He stopped breathing again for a brief moment, before he started laughing, a true, happy laugh. She laughed with him, hugging herself to him even more, nuzzling her face into his chest.

“I can’t wait to meet her, if she is even half as strong as her mother, she’s going to take over the world.” He breathed, feeling like he was walking on air.

“Her name is Thalia. Thalia Ramsey. She knows who her father wa- is. And I’m sure she’s thrilled to meet you, since she’s been watching us for the past four minutes, thinking I didn’t hear her or see her sit at the top of the stairs.” She smirked, leaning away and looking up, her eyes catching her daughter’s face that turned sour as she got caught. “Come on here, sweetie.”

Ethan tensed, thrilled and terrified to meet his child. After years of being alone, he got the love of his life back, and now he found out he had a daughter. It all felt like a lottery ticket and a cure, rolled up in one and handed over to him. He never thought he would be so happy to have a family of his own, and now that he had it, he couldn’t imagine his life without them.

Thalia stopped before him, keeping herself close to her mother. She was a spitting image of her father, brown hair and sparkling blue eyes, her features so distinctly his, that there was no way she was not his daughter. She smiled at him shyly, holding Claire’s hand tightly. Ethan took in a shuddered breath, falling to his knees to meet his daughter’s eyes. He could feel tears coming right back, blurring his vision as they fell down his cheeks.

“Hi, Dad.” She said quietly, moving towards him, wrapping her small arms around his neck. He looked up at Claire, not sure what to do, and she just smiled encouragingly, nodding slightly.

Ethan wrapped his arms around her frame, relaxing as her grip tightened. They were silent, and then Thalia leaned back slightly, only to look at her mother with the biggest smile he has ever seen. Claire sat on her knees next to them, just in time for Ethan to embrace his two girls, finally at home.


End file.
